''Recognize Eden by its serpent,'' ashen priests tell their initiates. And the serpents among the garden of the night are the Followers of Set, a clan of Egyptian and Easter vampires rumored to practice every ignominy under the night sky. These vice merchants are said to truck in all manner of desire and fancy, cultivating a bloom of corruption and heresy across the face fo the known world by appealing to their client's baser wants. To the Setites themselves, however, they are merely practitioners of most ancient traditions who cherish freedoms that have been stamped out in the world that has lost its way. They prefer shadows because light is the vanguard of hubris, while darkness breeds humility and proper respect in all great mysteries. Sobriquet:
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The Followers of Set claim lineage to Set himself, a deified figure on equal footing with Caine, if not God. Indeed, the followers dispute any ties to the supposed Third Mortal. They trace their history back through to the ancient nights when the desert sands were still mountains. It was in these mythic times that the great hunter Set tore into Geb's bosom and drank of the Earth God's blood, thus making himself a god by action and his children the avatars of his marble-cold divinity. Cainites claim that these were corrupt and debauched days, but the Setites remember as a time of uncensored freedom... at least until the war against Set's brother Osiris and nephew Horus took its toll. Accounts vary as to the victor of this bloody familial feud, with the Followers claiming the upper hand and their enemies asserting otherwise. Alas, Egypt still fell to a march of foreign mortal conquerors, forcing the Setites deep underground where they perfected their insidious ways.
Calamity struck again in the early nights of the first century, when Set vanished from his sarcophagus after plaguing his most venerable childer with prophetic dreams. Now slowly, the dreams come to fruition, and the Followers of Set debate dogma with a greater interest in the world. Although they once limited their activities to the shores of the Nile, they now wander the known world, spreading Set's wisdom from deep inside dark caravan tents or at the end of twisted alleys in the city slums
The Followers embrace misfortune, disease, tragedy and calamity because such conditions create patrons in need of their services. They cherish unmitigated freedom, the chaos of fulfilled desire and the satisfaction of want...any want. They revel in sensation and pleasure, twin connections with their god, but times are slowly changing. The Setites spread beyond the Nile out of necessity, but they choose to keep Set's blood mostly to Africans and Saracens, thus keeping their traditions thriving. Only occasionally did they Embrace Desheru (''the red ones'') or those Franks with the prized red-hair (which is believed to be a mark of Set). Now, however, some Desheru breed without care and establish nests in Europe, away from the control of the traditional caste of ancient Setites in Egypt known as Hierophants. These mongrel Setites are an abomination to Set's gift. They ignore tradition and spend more time succumbing to their own vices than cultivating it in others. This is creating friction among traditional Setites and the Desheru, who say the legends of Egypt are fading and that the new Eden is Europe. Some Hierophants have responded by traveling west and north to investigate these claims and prove to the renegades that their holy traditions need not be abandoned simply because the site of a temple does.
Serpents, Setites
Most Followers are of Middle-Eastern or African extraction, which brands them as foreigners in Europe. In addition, the clan has adopted the Nubian practice of scarification. By rubbing ash into cuts and wounds, they create a pattern of scars and raised welts. In terms of clothes, most Setites dress as merchants and traders, and they are known for their skill at travel (there is safety in flight). In private, they return to the tradition of the ancient priesthood. They keep their bodies shaved to protect them from against lice in the filthy warrens of Europe, and they wear neo-Egyptian robes made of linen. The few Europeans whom the Serpents Embrace can more easily pass as Cainites of other clans, and they often do by varying their dress and mannerisms. Mnay of these Desheru are also red-headed, either naturally or thanks to henna dyeing.
While the Followers of Set prefer their lairs underground--be it in great caverns, forgotten cisterns or buried temples adorned with ancient script and linens--these trappings are a privilege of the sect's most venerable members. Most Setites throughout Europe maintain sarcophagi on caravan trains or own buildings in the city slums close to port and trade districts. Regardless of their surroundings, however, Eygpytian hieroglyphics, papyrus paintings, lined draping, alcove temples with statues of Set and temple pottery predominate the interiors of these havens. Setites prey on the underclass of a European city making sure not to raise the ire of a well-placed Cainite lest they be displaced.
Traditionally, only those born of Egyptian stock or near the Nile itself were acceptable candidates for Set's blood, and the bulk of the clan remains Egyptian, Arab, or African. But the blood of Set is reserved for those strong of will, not of a particular shade of skin. Most fledglings spend time as mortal (or ghoul) retainers for their sires, a time in which they must prove themselves. If they are sycophants, they may be useful servants, but nothing more. The Embrace is reserved for those who have the will and conviction to remain strong. The actual Embrace takes place before a statue of Set and involves a complex (and secret) ritual. The Desheru tend to more idiosyncratic and less ritualistic in their Embracing, but no Followers of Set worth her salt, no matter how unorthodox, would waste the Embrace on a fool or a weakling. A majority of Desheru are Greeks (as their center was once Constantinople), but they include a growing number of Franks.
Social Attributes and Knowledges tend to be primary with the Followers, representing the charms and arcane knowledge they bring from the east. Commerce is also a common Ability, and some more physical types bring a complement of martial Abilities as well. Backgrounds are key to most Setites, who travel with Retainers and a Herd (their caravan) and have significant Resources. Contacts, Influence, and Mentor are also common. The most orthodox of the clan worship Set in all they do and follow the secretive Road of the Serpent. Others look to their progeniture as a guiding principle that leads them down the Roads of the Beast, of Kings, or of Sin.
Obfuscate, Presence, Serpentis
Set lurks in the night and hates the day, which is the domain of the tyranny imposed by Osiris and Horus. Therefore, Followers of Set suffer greater susceptibility to the sunlight, enough so that exposure to the sun inflicts twice as many levels of aggravated damage to them as it would o other vampires.
Traditionally, Setites favor the ancient priesthood practices of Egypt, with each temple run by the Superintendent and First Prophet of Set. Thereafter, the remaining Setites fall into line as the Second, Third, and (where applicable) Fourth Prophets of Set, though this last is rare. Circumstances now favor small intimate cults of mortal followers with the chief Setite acting as First Prophet of Set. Still any hierarchical structure belies the Setite's respect for one another as vessels of Set's blood. Desheru are less stringent and ritualistic. They often simply gather whatever slaves will follow them.
